CALIFORNIAN: Lorber and band bring jazz fusion back

In the late 1970s, jazz fusion was one of the new movements in music, surrounded by corporate rock, disco and early new wave. Keyboardist Jeff Lorber, with his band, The Jeff Lorber Fusion, was one of the prominent movers and shakers in the business.

But as the '80s arrived, the fusion part was gone, and it was just Jeff Lorber, solo artist ---- until now.

Now, there is "Galaxy," the new album by the new Jeff Lorber Fusion, who will perform July 20 at South Coast Winery.

So it brings up the question, why now?

"Everything in music, or art in general, is cyclical," he said. "When I first started the band, I called it fusion, not because I was trying to put my imprint on it, but we were a local band in the Portland club scene when most of the groups were playing pop and a country-rock sort of thing."

It was truth in advertising.

"It really was necessary," he said. "I didn't want someone yelling out, "Do 'Season of the Witch!' I wanted us to have our own thing."

Of course, record companies changed a lot of the movement.

"We played at the Earth Tavern and had a niche, but then things reached a feeding frenzy where anybody with a sax or guitar would make a fusion jazz record," he said. "Companies signed up everyone, and the market was flooded."

Decades later, the fusion is back.

"With everything going on these days, the idea of bringing it back seemed like a good idea and the record company, my manager and band members thought it seemed like a fresh idea musically and rhythmically exciting," he said. "There also a certain level of music virtuosity involved, and it is challenging."

As a result, he's gone back and brought older songs back for a modern-day feel.

"Really, I just thought those songs were ripe for reinvention," he said. "I know so much more now than I did then, and I have the luxury of these great studio musicians."

"It's a dream come true to have these wizards in the studio and to give these songs another shot," he said.

Some have had a whole new arrangement.

"'The Samba' is completely different," he said. "On 'Wizard Island,' we've added a new set of chord changes to the solo and the coda. The original versions are cool, but the new ones have a different energy to them."

It all began with a set of demos.

"First, the record was co-produced by Jimmy Haslip, and we had good demos before we actually brought the rhythm section into record," he said. "When you work with this caliber of musicians, you let them interpret it. More often than not, if you let them do what they hear, they are going to come up with something better."

It helps that Lorber has been producing for years and likes to take a sort-of hands-off approach in many ways.

"When I work with musicians of that caliber, I rarely give them instruction unless it is absolutely necessary for some reason," he said. "Sometimes they will play something strange that I'm not used to and I'll take it home, listen to it later and come around."

To Lorber, it's about not micro-managing.

"I think the sign of a good producer is to keep your mouth shut," he said. "If you tell them what to do, they'll do it, but then you won't get that reaction. You want to get their experience on their own instrument. I mean, Benny has a better idea of what he should do with the drums than I do."

Either way, the musicians are getting paid.

"That's why you hire them," he said. "If you are using these kinds of musicians, if they don't get to do their things, you'll miss out. I've been a sideman in another session, and I will see them making the same mistake. I'm thinking, ‘Hey, just let them do what they want.'"

Then again, Lorber points out, most producers do understand the talent they have.

"It's rare to have someone step in and try to boss everyone around," he said. "Usually it's at a level where they let everyone do their thing."

That said, the new version of Jeff Lorber Fusion is a little different.

"The early Jeff Lorber Fusion was a different vibe," he said. "In those days, we were lucky there were a lot of places to play, so we stayed busy almost every day and by the time we got into the studio, we had a good ensemble and an organic chemistry. That's a good thing to have. Now, we had to replace that with five-star studio musicians, and I think the results are just as good."